1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to building structures, and more particularly to a building module which is highly versitle and can be combined in a variety of forms to provide many desired configurations.
2. Prior Art
It has long been recognized that the use of triangular panel members for the construction of building structures provides many highly desirable advantages. Building structures formed of triangular panel members have considerably more strength than building structures formed of rectangular panels. Such strength is attributed to the fact that a combination of joined triangular members is equivalent to a truss system, whereas a combination of joined rectangular panels is equivalent to a beam system.
Although many have recognized the advantages of triangular panel members for building structures, other and more important considerations have been overlooked. Generally, most of the prior known building structures of this type employ equilateral triangular panel members in an attempt to achieve greater versitality. In this respect, any side of an equilateral triangular member can be joined with any side of any other equilateral triangular member of the same size. However, the construction of such equilateral triangular panels results in a considerable loss of materials, since generally sheet materials for making such panel members are rectangular in shape. Furthermore, the use of equilateral panel members produces a relatively high cover ratio when employed with a rectangular floor area. That is, the area of the walls and roof of a building structure fabricated of equilateral panel members is generally considerably greater than the rectangular floor area which is covered. This relatively high cover ratio is not desirable for several reasons. A relatively high cover ratio increases the material cost for a given floor area and may also increase the thermal radiation from the enclosed volume.
Examples of building structures which employ equilateral panel members are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,332,178 and 3,660,952. The structures disclosed in these patents employ equilateral panel members which are joined together to form the walls and roof of a building. It can be appreciated from these patents that when equilateral panel members are employed to form a building structure having a square or rectangular floor area, the resulting structure is of relatively great height as compared to the width and length of its floor area. Furthermore, the skin of such panel members must be cut from a rectangularly shaped sheet of panel material. It can be appreciated that when an equilateral panel is cut from a rectangularly shaped sheet of panel material, a considerable amount of wasted material will remain, thereby increasing the material cost of such a building structure.
The building structures which are disclosed in the above two mentioned patents cannot be easily employed as modular units which can be combined either with each other or with other architectural forms to provide different configurations. That is, a building structure formed of equilateral triangular panel members does not have such relative dimensions which will permit it to be easily joined with other architectural forms.
The cover ratio of a building structure formed of equilateral panel members and having a floor area which is square, such as shown in the above mentioned patents, is 5.2 to 1. Such a relatively high cover ratio is not desirable, since it increases the material costs of the building structure. Furthermore, a relatively large cover ratio is not desirable from the standpoint of thermal efficiency. That is, the greater the cover area as compared to the floor area, the greater will be the amount of heat transmission through the walls and roof of the structure.